The striker plates in typical homes normallly do not pose a real deterent to unauthorized entry. Unauthorized entry can be achieved by kicking the door and splitting the door jamb or dislodging the striker plate or prying the door and door jamb apart to disengage the door latch from the striker plate or cutting the door latch with loose fitting doors and jambs or those that can be pried apart.
While many weaknesses in door locks pertain to the nature of the locking member upon the door and the ease with which the lock can be picked, the existing problem relates to the inherent weakness of current door frames by which using a jimmy or other crow bar or tool, the door frame can be pried or separated from the door sufficiently to disconnect the bolt latch from the jamb or rail to permit unauthorized entry.
Often the conventional strike plate provides very little protection against access to the strike plate with a tool or with a saw which may sever the deadbolt or latch bolt or will retract or sufficiently bend the anchoring screws which are not of sufficient length or anchorage to resist much exterior force. Heretofore in door frame constructions, the frame itself is inherently weak, particularly so at the location of the strike plate rendering the door vulnerable to exterior assault and tampering to obtain illegal access by forced opening of the door.
Standard striker plates are of such construction as to provide mechanical access to the interior of the latching mechanism and to the strike plate such as will permit the application of a prying tool thereinto or a crow bar or a saw or other tool such as will destroy the door locks or at least render them ineffective.
Various means have been employed to try to protect door frames and door lock sets and striker plates to be less vulnerable to intruders.